Define and compare the business communication processes and business models and areas of strength of Apple, Google,

and Microsoft.

Googles main objective based on free economy is to give internet

users free access to web-information through its search engine. Google also offers free products - Google +, a social networking site, and Google Chrome OS, a web browser for heavy users. With Google Apps, the company provides free and pay-by-user business tools - Gmail, Google Calendar, Google Docs, Google Map and Google Earth, Google Commerce, and Dropbox (Google Apps, 2011). The multinational generates its 37.9 billion revenue for 2011 mainly from advertising (Google Inc, 2012). The strategic acquisition of YouTube and AdMob, a mobile advertising company with platform on iPhones, certainly pays off (Research and Markets, 2012). To prevent Apples domination on mobiles, Google developed Android, an open source operating system, and is closing its purchase of Motorola Mobility, the aim being to acquire their patent portfolio to protect Android. Google has 32,467 employees-equity-holders; strategically based on challenges and motivations, Googles employees are compensated for personal achievement and companys successes (Google Australia, 2009). Primarily, Google wants to maintain its founders culture on long-term projects; for this reason, the board recently created a class of nonvoting shares (Page & Brin, 2012). However, Google is confronted with challenges. Its privacy policy generates world-wide polemic (Googles New Privacy Policy, 2012) but the biggest threat is the possible decline of web-advertising due to applications allowing users to access information without using search engines ( Google Inc, 2012).

Since 1997, Apple bounced back with its iPhone and iPad representing 62% of its 2011 revenues of 108 billion. Apple sells computers, software, electronic devices, and many applications especially iTunes, Apples online store (Apple Inc, 2012). Facing competition from manufacturers offering cheaper products, Apple strategically opened its door to third-parties developers including Microsoft. The two giants sometimes collaborated. In 1997, Microsoft invested $150 million in Apple and provided software for Macs while Apple made its mobile devices compatible with Windows (Apple, Microsoft Ink 5Year, 2012). Apples greatest challenge comes from smartphones threatening the sale of iPhones. However, the integration of SIRI (Speech Interpretation and Recognition Interface) to iPhone4S is an innovation. Furthermore, Apples popularity has attracted hackers; in March 2012, around 600,000 Macs were infected. Finally, criticised for human rights abuses and environmental pollution in China, Apple has been urged to draft a new policy to protect its suppliers workers (Chao, 2011). Since 1975, Microsoft dominates computer technology with its operating systems Windows and many business software especially Office, Exchange, SharePoint, and Office Web Apps including Office 365. The companys revenue of 69.9 billion for 2011 comes from the sale and licensing of its products and services (Microsoft Corporation, 2012). However, Microsoft faces strong competition especially from Oracle, Apple, Google, and Smartphones. Windows Phone 7 is no match yet for iPhone and Samsungs Galaxy Nexus; and though the company managed a deal with Yahoo! to replace its search engine with Bing, the latter serves only 4% of the market while Google stands firm with 80% (Yahoo Integrates Bing, 2010).